A bed quilt 8 (see FIGS. 1-5) is commonly comprised of a mat of batting 10 or insulating fill material sandwiched between top and bottom fabric panels 11t, 11b that are stitched together by peripheral seams along the four edges (head seam 13h, foot seam 13f and two side seams 13s), and by pattern seams 14 across the panels (and batting) inwardly of the peripheral seams. Most quilts are rectangular in shape, having the side seams 13s substantially parallel to one another and having the head and foot seams 13h, 13f substantially parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the side seams.
In forming the quilt, the panels 11t, 11b initially are laid with the outside faces against one another and are stitched together inside-out around three adjacent edge seams (see FIG. 3, typically the two side seams 13s and the foot seam 13f). This defines a three-sided bag xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d having the fourth head edge 12 open. A fill machine 16, commonly used to fill the bag, would have a tubular horn 15 elongated to almost the inside width of the open bag and a ram 17 sized to fit through the horn and completely into the bag. Two operators (not shown), standing on opposite ends of the horn would together fit the open bag onto the horn 15, bunching up thereon the yet inside-out panels until the foot seam 13f is aligned over an inlet opening of the horn. The ram 17 with batting 10 lying thereon would then be advanced against the stitched edge seam 13f and through the horn, operable to unfurl the panels 11t, 11b through the horn and draw them right-side out and around the batting 10. After the ram 17 is withdrawn, the now filled bag xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d is lying flat on the fill machine table 18 with the final or fourth edge 12 open toward and somewhat proximate the horn outlet opening.
The final or open fourth bag edge 12 would then have to be stitched closed along the seam 13h. Heretofore, a skilled operator had to complete such stitching using a sewing machine, but this procedure has proved to be difficult and costly. For example, (1) the filled bag xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d had to be manually transferred to the sewing machine operator; who (2) then manually had to fold the separate end edges of the open bag panels inwardly along straight corners 20 as short flaps 21, and (3) had to position the flaps flush against one another, with the flap corners lined up straight and even to define what many call a French Hemm flap configuration; but (4) the operator, starting at one side edge seam 13s, would have to repeatedly fold and stitch only short lengths of the panel edges at a time, progressively folding additional lengths of the panel flaps 21 (possibly 5-10 inches at a time and just before being stitched at the sewing machine; and (5) all the while trying to keep the closure seam 13h uniform and straight for yielding an acceptable guilt.
An object of this invention is to provide a machine and method for closing and stitching closed, in an in-folded flap configuration, the final open or fourth edge of a filled quilt bag or cover, virtually automatically once the bag fill machine operators have transferred the opened bag edge onto the machine.
A more specific object of this invention is to provide a machine and method for accurately forming an in-folded flap configuration or hemm simultaneously along the entire length of the final open bag edge, by: folding the in-folded flaps along only a short length of the open bag edge across and inwardly from each of the bag side seams, positioning the in-folded flaps over respective spaced separator members with the side seams overlying the separator members, and moving the separator members apart until the bag edges are drawn tight causing said folded flaps to be extended over the remaining intermediate portions of the bag edge, continuously between adjacent side seams of the bag.
A further object of this invention is to provide a machine and method for moving such folded but yet opened bag edge into operative association with an automatic sewing machine, and for moving the bag and sewing machine relative to one another along the final opened bag edges for first clearing away exposed fill or batting material and then for stitching the opened edges closed, all without operator assistance.